The Philippine Army joined the closing ceremony of the 38th iteration of Exercise Balikatan at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Headquarters, Quezon City on April 28, 2023.
Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. joined the AFP and U.S. Armed Forces top brass led by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres C. Centino, United States Indo-Pacific Command Chief Admiral John C. Aquilino, U.S. Balikatan Exercise Director Lt. Gen. William M. Jurney of the U.S. Marine Corps, and AFP Balikatan Exercise Director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine during the closing ceremony. Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. served as the guest of honor and speaker while U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson also graced the event.
Around 17,600 Filipino and U.S. soldiers, as well as 111 Australian Defence Force troops, trained together in the 38th iteration of Exercise Balikatan. Philippine Army troops successfully trained with their U.S. counterparts in four major events: Command Post Exercise, Cyber Defense Exercise, Field Training Exercise, and Humanitarian Civic Assistance. Through Balikatan, participating soldiers from the Army Support Command, Armor Division, Army Artillery Regiment, Army Aviation Regiment, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), First Scout Ranger Regiment, and the 525th Engineer Combat Battalion of the 51st Engineer Brigade bolstered their skills and enhanced their interoperability with U.S. soldiers in a spectrum of military operations.
The annual Balikatan advances the AFP and PA's military modernization and capability development through a series of subject matter expert exchanges and field training exercises. Balikatan (which means shoulder-to-shoulder or shouldering the load together in Filipino) also enhances the combat readiness and interoperability of Filipino and American soldiers across a range of military operations.
Photos by Pfc. Rodgen V. Quirante PA/OACPA